Thursday, March 28, 2013

What's For Supper? Parmesan Pesto Baked Ziti

I love love love pasta. I mean LOVE it. I really enjoy experimenting with it and switching up the different types of noodles, and throwing different meats and veggies into the mix. On top of that, Kollyns is super duper picky, but I can hide just about anything in a pasta dish and she will eat it right up! (Mommy wins!) I stopped by the store yesterday on the way home to pick up a few things and spotted a jar of pesto and ding ding ding, that's what's for supper. I grabbed the small jar and started grabbing stuff to throw in my dish. Yes, I grab & dash in the grocery store! Kollyns will only stay in the cart for about 3.5 seconds so I have to go into Supermarket Sweep mode when I grocery shop. Does anyone else miss that show? Nevermind.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place cherry tomatoes on the foil in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil & roast them in the oven while you cut up your chicken and get everything else cooking. I let mine roast for about 20 minutes and they were PERFECT! Heat your skillet up (medium heat) and drizzle with olive oil. Also, start bringing water to a boil for your penne pasta. Throw the strips of thin chicken into the skillet and let them get pretty well cooked before you add in the onions and mushrooms. Add the onions & mushrooms and allow these to brown a bit. Toss in the black olives and about 2 heaping tablespoons of pesto. Add in your roasted tomatoes along with the olive oil/tomato drippings from the foil, give it a good stir and turn the skillet down to low and allow the veggies and chicken to simmer in the pesto. Once your whole grain penne pasta is cooked to al dente perfection, drain it and drizzle it with olive oil. Mix the penne with the chicken and veggies in the skillet and stir in the rest of the jar of pesto. Add desired amount of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Next, sprinkle a layer of parmesan cheese over everything in your skillet and mix it in well. Pour mixture into a glass baking dish and finish off the bag of parmesan cheese on top. Pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes and you're good to go!